Come January, a programme to impart intensive residential training for six days to 18,700 SC and ST adolescent girls, mostly school and college drop-outs, in safety and security aspects will be launched at government-run Mahila Pranganams in the 10 erstwhile districts of Telangana.
The State government plans to spend ₹1.65 lakh on each batch of 50 girls to be trained at a place every time.
The girls would be given running shoes, T-shirts and tracksuit-pants, worth ₹1,000 per head, and served food for six days with a nutritious menu costing ₹300 per day. The objective was to promote right food habits designed in consultation with National Institute of Nutrition and UNICEF.
Health subjects
Though the training module will have a significant content on health issues, Women and Children Welfare Secretary M. Jagadeeshwar told The Hindu that the programme was designed to prevent girls in rural areas from falling prey to sexual abuse.
It was found that girls in their teens among poor SCs and STs were pulled out of schools by their parents and left alone at home or made to work for a living.
These adolescents were exposed to allurements by youth which would have been avoided if they were in school and guided by peer group understanding.
The information dumped by Internet and mobile phones increased their vulnerability, the Secretary explained.
Easy prey
As the girls had no knowledge about harmonal growth in body and the corresponding menstrual problems, Mr. Jagadeeshwar said it was likely that they were lured by youth even if they resisted initially.
In most cases, the girls did not speak out exploitation that they underwent due to fear of social stigma.
Hence, the programme was taken up from special development fund for SCs and STs to build capacity of adolescent girls on safety and security, health, nutrition, hygiene and reproductive health.
The programme was also aimed to prevent child marriages, trafficking and create awareness on legal and protective mechanisms, he added. Resource persons who will be selected to train girls will be paid ₹15,000 per batch.
The 18,700 girls to be trained till March 2019 will include 11,800 SCs and 6,900 STs.
